Much Ado about a Widow

This was my first book by Jenna Jaxon and I loved the journey of Robin, Lord St. Just, Marquess of St Just and Lady Georgina Kirkpatrick.
“Georgie” was on her way home when her, her lady’s maid, Clara, and Lulu, her King Charles Cavalier spaniel, we’re kidnapped. When running away, she literally bumps into St Just, a friend of her brother’s. Being an honorable man, there’s nothing to be done except to rescue them. This had some intrigue, bravery, dastardly secondary characters, kindness, realism that they had judged each other wrongly. Their trip towards love was a roller coaster of emotion and scorching sexual tension. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and now have the previous one in this series. I highly recommend this book for it’s sweet travel to love and lol moments. My opinions are my own and I give it five stars. I was gifted this book by NetGalley and the publisher.

Georgie was a determined young woman. She married her love but lost him. To appease her father, she agreed to marry a man she did not like. When Robin protected her, she found another solution to her situation. Robin was sweet and protective of Georgie. They journey together was full of surprises, steam, and danger. I recommend this story.

I received a copy of this story through Netgalley and Goddess Fish Promotions, and this is my unsolicited review.

Georgie is accosted by hoodlums while traveling, and who comes to her rescue and saves her? None other than her brother’s best friend Lord St. Just! She’s not sure she is truly saved, though, when she, her lady’s maid, and her little dog, Lulu, are taken pretty much against their will on board St. Just’s boat. Thinking he is a pirate, she schemes all kinds of ways to escape, but all of them are futile. Just as she begins to think there is no hope avoiding this scoundrel, he begins to treat her more fairly, saves the life of her little dog, and she realizes he’s not so bad after all! I really like stories about bad guys falling in love, and especially rich, handsome, bad guys, but especially liked Lulu. Her funny escapades made me laugh. Truly enjoyable! This is a fun read for a lazy rainy afternoon!

3.5 Stars
Lady Georgina Kirkpatrick, daughter of a managing Marquis ,defied her father, jilted the man he wanted her to marry, and married the man she loved, the son of a vicar. But when her husband died at Waterloo, she was delivered right back into her father’s power. Now her father first arranged marriage has simply been renegotiated. Georgie can either submit to her father’s machinations of be disowned without a penny. Returning from her friend’s wedding a band of ruffians overtake her carriage and kidnap her. She escapes in Portsmouth and literally runs into her brother’s best friend, Robin Kerr Marquis St Just. Rob decides to take Georgie to his home in Cornwall so within the hour he has Georgie, her lady’s maid—and her little dog Lulu too—sailing for his castle in Cornwall. Meanwhile, the lady’s entire family, her kidnappers, and her scheming intended are in pursuit.
I’ve really loved the earlier books in the series so was looking forward to Georgie’s story. Whilst I did enjoy it I did find it a bit farcical at times. I liked both Rob & Georgie but I didn’t love them & found Georgie in particular to be a bit two dimensional although she has a strong grip!! I must admit I thought her father was mad & he was the one that should have been locked up. There was a lot happening, maybe too much at times. So for mr a fence sitter as whilst I enjoyed it I didn’t love it
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Much Ado About A Widow by Jenna Jaxon is the 4th book of the Widow’s Club series. The story starts off when Lady Georgia Kirkpatrick is accosted by kidnappers on the journey home where her father plans to marry his daughter to a suitor of his choice. The hero of the hour is Lord St. Just, her brother’s best friend—whom she suspects aspires to be a pirate. St. Just loves a challenge and helps the fair lady make her farewells to the hoodlums by sailing off with her, her maid, and her dog to his castle in Cornwall. Meanwhile, Georgia’s family, kidnappers, and her scheming intended, who is obsessed with Georgia, are in hot pursuit.
MUCH ADO ABOUT A WIDOW is like a Shakespearean comedy, famous for light-hearted drama, humor, and engaging banters. The characters’ POV seem farcical at times. The star of the story is Lulu, Georgia’s loyal King Charles Spaniel. Don’t get me wrong. Jenna Jaxon writes a whirlwind tale of kidnappers, meddling family members, and pirates into one delightful story.

I had a hard time getting into this story. It started out okay but it didn’t really draw me in all that well.
No one should be forced to marry someone they don’t want to of course. And I understood why Georgina was going to go along with marrying Lord Travers. HOWEVER, I had a problem with Georgina’s thinking. She is repulsed by Travers, he’s a leering creep, with a horrible reputation that she has heard about. But more than once she thought she had already married the love of her life so how bad could it be? Yes, I know the alternative is to be tossed out on the street without anything and no one to help her. Come on…and she’s been married before and she doesn’t think it couldn’t be that bad? Ah, someone slap that chick on the side of her head! Okay, I’ve calmed down now and realize that Georgina has been doing a whole lot of lying to herself in order to force herself to marry The Creep. And speaking of force, her father is one arrogant, my-way or the highway kind of guy. And nothing is below him when it comes to forcing people to do things his way. Sorry never going to like that guy.

Georgina’s brother Jemmy and his wife Elizabeth add to the story although there really isn’t much they can do to help her. They want to but daddy dearest holds the purse strings and there is no give at all on that. Georgina’s maid, Clara and Georgina’s beloved dog, Lulu are on her side. But once again not much they could do either.
Things speed up rather rapidly around Chapter Twenty as one time after another the main characters are pursued. Not to worry though, not only is there danger but also some humor and a H.E.A. It wouldn’t say that it’s a favorite but it did have some good points.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

I received an advanced readers edition and I am so glad I did. This story had everything that made it a great read. Lady Georgina defied her father and married a man she loved rather than the man he chose for her. When her husband dies and she has nowhere to go, she returns home and her father coerces her to sign a contract to marry an odious and depraved man.
After attending a friends wedding Georgina and her maid are headed back to her father’s home resigned to her fate.
She doesn’t count on getting kidnapped and being saved by her brother’s friend Rob St. Just a marquess. Sort of. She expects him to return her to her home but instead he whisked her away on her boat and takes her to his castle. Georgina is livid but Rob, who she calls a pirate, surprises her again and again and they fall in love.
But with her father insisting she hold up her end of the bargain and her betrothed setting up roadblocks she despair she will never be able to marry Rob. But he has tricks up his sleeve. After all he is her pirate and he will fight for her.

2.5 stars rounded up

Lady Georgina Kirkpatrick earned her father’s wrath years ago when she married a vicar’s son for love rather than the odious earl her father had betrothed her to. But now her beloved husband has been killed and Georgie’s options are limited for the next six years until she can claim her inheritance from her mother. Her father has agreed to take her back if she goes through now with the first marriage he originally arranged for her, so Georgie agrees and cherish the last few weeks of freedom she has. Until she and her lady’s maid are kidnapped on the way to her father’s house. They manage to escape and luckily encounter her brother’s friend Robin Kerr, the Marquess of St. Just, in the coastal town of Portsmouth. St. Just knows he must help his friend’s sister, even if she despises him, and soon he has them sailing away, though the lady is somewhat less than willing to accept his aide. Rob sails for his home with Georgie’s family, kidnappers, and abominable betrothed in pursuit, but he and Georgie grow to form an unlikely bond and soon it seems they’ll be strong enough together to take on anyone.

There may be spoilers ahead as we dip into rant territory.
Before I’d even made it to 20% on this book, Georgie had already firmly planted herself as one of the dumbest heroines I’ve read. She knew her kidnappers were dangerous and that her father couldn’t care less about her and she still wanted to go “home” to said father. It amazed me that she’d even consider a place where she apparently suffered at the hands of a cruel father to be home. She displayed no autonomy, despite being a widow and having some options; even lacking money she could’ve easily secured a position as a paid companion. Her initial vitriol toward Rob also made no sense to me; it was definitely a case of the lady protesting too much, but I just didn’t buy it or the obsession with propriety coming from a 24 year old widow. Her brother and maid were also ridiculous in their insistence on propriety and chaperonage and the maid spoke to Georgie in ways no maid would’ve dared speak to her mistress. This insistence also made Jemmy, Georgie’s brother, quite the hypocrite from what I’ve learned of his and Elizabeth’s story, though I haven’t read it, and this made me dislike him enough that I really don’t want to read it.

Beyond these rather technical issues I had, the storyline had so many pieces and different side characters telling things from their point of view that it became very farcical, rather than having a dramatic effect that actually held my attention. Georgie went from hating Rob (for no discernible reason), accusing him of kidnap after he rescued her and was trying to help her and keep her from running right back to her kidnappers, to her slightly liking him, to her suddenly being madly in love with him. Combined with a play by play of every ludicrous thought Georgie had, and there were many, I just didn’t buy it and didn’t feel any chemistry between her and Rob. Several phrases were also repeated ad nauseum, such as Georgie’s plan to “ring a peal” over some man’s head (this was made all the more ridiculous by her total lack of autonomy or gumption), and the many references to Rob as a pirate when it was made clear many times that he was nothing of the sort, ever. In fact, Rob is vilified by both Georgie and her brother, supposedly his best friend, for really no reason.

I found myself skimming this one because I had to DNF a book, especially for review, but I was disappointed. I hoped for improvement but as it wore on, the plot just grew even more far-fetched and nonsensical, with rushed love scenes and ridiculous behavior from Georgie’s father, who is somehow magically forgiven in the end. Much of this was just a nonsensical farce to me and didn’t really live up to my hopes for it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a fun read. A little silly at times with kidnappings and overbearing families but I definitely liked Rob and Maggie had some sass for a HR heroine. I will need to check out more of these Widows Club stories.

One of the consequences of war, is the widows left behind. Some truly loved their husbands, and had no interest in another union, unless finances forced them to, while others were quite happy to be single again. The Widow’s Club was made up of several of these women. Three have found happiness again. Lady Georgina Kirkpatrick had escaped marriage to Lord Travers, a horrible man, when she first came out, by marrying Mr. Isaac Kirkpatrick, the parish vicar’s son, and was then not only disinherited by her father, but her siblings were forced to severe relationship with her too. After Isaac was killed, she had no means of support and would not inherit her mother’s estate until she is 30, several years in the future, leaving her destitute. Her horrible father, has reached out to her and offered to return her to the family- if she will marry Lord Travers. But on the way to her father’s estate, their carriage is taken over by kidnappers. Before she can learn the identity of their “master”, she manages to flee the carriage with her maid, Clara and her dog, Lulu and literally runs into one of her brother, Jemmy’s friends, Robin St Just, who had coincidentally, received a letter from Jemmy, asking for advice about how to save his sister from this disastrous wedding. Rob is in Portsmouth to pick up supplies to return to Cornwall, his home and brings Georgie, Clara and Lulu aboard his ship, while sending off a note to Jemmy and retrieving Georgie’s luggage from the abandoned carriage. Then they are off to high adventures on the seas, with Georgie ungrateful at first, but Rob does grow on her.

Although I found Georgie’s behavior very ungrateful, getting mad at Rob for rescuing her, by the best idea to keep her safe that he could come up with, she intrigued him. Romance, intrigue, easy banter, engaging characters make this an appealing read.

I read an ARC from the publisher and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.